


Satisfaction

by QwertySnek



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Character's Name Spelled as Hanji, Cheating, Eventual Smut, F/M, Female Hange Zoë, Great way to start tagging, Hanji Ackerman, Heterosexual Sex, I really tried, Married Couple, Short Chapters, The Author Regrets Nothing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-10
Updated: 2017-04-04
Packaged: 2018-06-07 14:47:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6809737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QwertySnek/pseuds/QwertySnek
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hanji's last name has been Ackerman for a few months now. Of course she was happy in her almost healthy relationship, having love, loyalty and admiration for one another, but one admittedly important detail of their relationship was missing completely: Levi never touched her. Sexually frustrated and with no explanation as to why he didn't want her, Hanji finds comfort and help in the unlikely form of her long-term laboratory assistant Moblit. </p><p>It's a mistake, and they both know it. Yet neither of them can quite manage to regret it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. If Only...

Laboratory assistant to the one and only Hanji Zoe was exhausting work. Exhausting. He had to constantly be on his toes to make sure she wasn't doing anything they both knew would end badly. He had to constantly be listening out for certain trigger words and phrases ("I wonder what will happen if...") so he could leap into action and prevent any catastrophe. He was constantly there to monitor not only her behaviour, but also the inventory. It was his job to stay on top of the chemical amounts and the inventory, and put a flask in her hand whenever she needed one. 

Moblit definitely had the less glamorous end of the stick, and he got little to no recognition in her findings. When of course he knew, and he was sure Hanji - at least subconsciously - knew he had just as much of a part to play by keeping her stocked and breathing so she could finish the experiments in the first place. 

There was no doubt in his mind that he spent more time with her than her husband, Levi. She was at work more than she was home, and he was there whenever she was, for obvious and aforementioned reasons. However, those weren't the only reasons. Despite her lack of... Let's say attention, Moblit knew that he was hopelessly head-over-heels for his married boss. He stuck by her side like glue in the workplace not only to save her life and hand her that conical flask, but because he liked being close to her. Over the years, he had definitely grown to know her through her ramblings (she had a tendency to talk about seemingly random things when working) better than anybody else. 

Which was why he hadn't failed to notice her rising stress levels. It hadn't just been over the past few days or a week, it had been at least three months now. Hanji Zoe had been getting more and more stressed every day, though the differences were so small it didn't make much difference from day to day. However, compare today to two months ago, and the difference was clear. She was tugging at her ponytail, pausing to wipe her glasses and even stumbling over her words just a little too often to be normal. 

The male hadn't thought much of it at first. Home troubles, definitely none of his business to be asking about. Though seeing as she almost added Nitrogen to a mixture instead of Hydrogen, he decided it was high time he stepped in.  
“Hanji, what’s the matter with you lately? You’re acting so stressed. It’s starting to interfere with your work.” He pointed out gently, dragging a hand through his soft brown hair, as he so often did when he was stressed out. Stress for him was a completely normal thing, however.

“What? I’m not stressed!” She laughed at him, shaking her head. “I'm just fine. Now would you hand me that flask? I need to set up a titration.” She held out a hand, squinting at the clear fluid in the container before her, glasses resting on her forehead with the nose-pads digging in just enough to allow them to stay there. She was near-sighted, and he knew that the glasses only hindered her when the object of her scrutiny was this close.

“Are you certain a titration is what you need to do with that? Didn't you just do one yesterday? Twelve times?” He really was starting to get worried. Why would she need to re-do something she had already done thoroughly?

To nobody’s surprise but her own, she seemed surprised. “Oh. I did, didn't I? Alright then, that just saves us time now! Why don’t you go on a break for half an hour? I’m okay here!”

“I’d really rather not, Hanji. You've almost blown us up twice today, earlier on. I think you’re the one who needs the break. Please take a break. I’m starting to worry about you more than usual, and that in itself is troubling.” He looked at her as she seemed to frown, as if contemplating his point. “I’ll stay here and keep an eye on things while I take inventory. Go take a break. No coffee. Or energy drinks. Get some water or juice, or even tea.” He told her, ushering her gently towards the door.

“Alright, alright, if you insist. You’ll-”

“Yes, I’ll keep an eye on things, I just told you. Go. Relax. Take a nap if you like. I don’t want to see you in here until at least thirty minutes have passed, alright?” He stared at her, watching her pout like a little puppy before she skulked from the room, her head low.

Only when the door closed behind her did he let out a heavy sigh, slumping against the wall. She was more of a handful than a child on a sugar high sometimes. The thought put a smile on his face. She was hard work, but… Ah, he really did love her. If only she would notice him as anything more than a babysitter, subordinate and possibly friend. He wanted so much more than that.

Picking himself up off the wall, he grabbed a clipboard and flipped through the pages to one at the back, moving it to the front.

“Okay… three bottles of…”


	2. Asking for Help

Approximately half an hour later, when Moblit wasn't even halfway through his immense inventory, he heard the door swing open and click shut. After jotting down the number in his head, he looked up to see Hanji looking even more tired and depressed than she had before her break.

Holding the clipboard to his chest, Moblit left where he was stood and approached her, a worried frown on his face. “Perhaps you should go home, Hanji. You don’t look well.”

“Please don’t make me go home, Moblit.” She dragged a hand through her hair again, tugging at her ponytail once more and actually taking it out. Her long hair fell about her shoulders, and she ruffled a hand through it before dragging it through once more. Her lips moved, but he was too busy admiring her hair to hear the words that came from between them. He hadn't, but if he had ever doubted for a second how gorgeous she was… Well. “Hello?” She asked, snapping him out of his reverie.

“S-sorry! What did you say?” He asked nervously, cursing himself for stammering. His grip on the clipboard grew tighter, turning his fingertips white.

“I said I need your help.” She looked down. Something was very wrong. Hanji had never been embarrassed about asking for his help before. He was her assistant; it was literally his entire job to help her. That’s what he was paid to do.

“What with?” Was all he asked, looking at her warily. He had every right to be slightly suspicious, didn't he? After all, she seemed to be having problems asking for his help, which undoubtedly meant something outside of his job description. “Do you need to hide a body or something?” He asked with a nervous laugh, while his mind was screaming ‘oh God please no’ over and over.

“What? No!” Again, her hand went through her hair, and he almost got lost in the golden shimmer of her dark auburn hair. “I just… I need you to keep an open mind, here. And hear me out. Okay?”

“That’s all I ever do.” He muttered, nodding. Seriously though, how could anyone afford not to be open minded around her?

“Well… I'm having some… Problems. At home.” She started, and Moblit's heart jumped. Problems? What kind of problems? Could this be his chance? He didn't get a chance to ask. “It’s not that I don’t love Levi any more, and I'm sure he still loves me.” Damn. His heart sank. “But…” Oh? His heart lifted again. “Well…” The scientist tugged on a bit of her hair, chewing on her lip in a manner he had never seen nor would have expected from her. “He doesn't… Oh, never mind.”

“Doesn't what?” He urged from her quickly. There was no way in hell he was going to let her get away with leaving something like that. “There’s clearly a problem and I want to help you. Any way I can.” He added. “Even if it’s-”

“Make love to me.” She interrupted him, grabbing his shoulders. He stared at her, his eyes wide.

“…What?” He asked, blinking at her. There was no way he’d just heard her right. “Haha… I think I need to get my ears tested… It sounded like you just said-”

“Sleep with me.” Her grip got tighter. “Please. Levi won’t even touch me. I-I didn't think it was such a big deal, but I can’t- I can’t do it anymore. When he’s not off fighting he’s always training those kids and he’s always too tired and I can’t take it anymore!”

“I-I-I…” What could he do? Well, he knew exactly what he could do, but should he? Of course he shouldn't. It was immoral and wrong. Shit though, this was Hanji. This was all he had wanted for years. He wasn't nearly drunk enough to make a stupid decision like this, but… “Whatever you need me to do…” He nodded slowly, his mouth and throat suddenly dry.

The female scientist looked at him for a moment, her eyes darting from side to side with minute movements as she studied his expression. Moblit didn't move, and suddenly she practically leapt at him, catching his lips in a crushing kiss that threatened to steal all air from his lungs. The clipboard in his hands dropped to the floor with a clatter between them, bouncing off his foot first but he couldn't find it in him to care, even if it did mildly hurt his toe.

It took him a moment to respond to the lips against his, but when he managed it… He really managed it. His arms wrapped around her to hold her close, his lips reciprocating the feverish movements of her own. After so long dreaming it, he found it difficult to believe this was really happening. However, after a pinch to his own arm, he soon reminded himself that this was indeed happening, and it made him all the more eager to please her.

One of his hands found its way into her loose hair, holding onto it gently as his other planted firmly in the small of her back, holding her body close to his. Perhaps it was blatantly obvious how much he really wanted this and had for a while with the way he was accepting it so readily. Not that he could possibly have cared any less about it.

Both of Hanji's hands were clinging to his lab coat, bunching the material of it over his chest. Gently, he dislodged her from it, and cast the stained white coat to the floor, unbuttoning hers as they both continued their needy kissing. She lifted her hands to help him, and soon her coat was on the floor too. He could feel her pushing him back, back towards the cot he had had set up in the corner for when she stayed the night, because she ended up doing that a lot more than she cared to realise. His pulse pounded in his ears and his palms were a little clammy. This was really happening, and the glint of her wedding and engagement rings made it that much more real.


	3. Don't Think About It

Stepping over the discarded lab coats, Moblit let her push him back until the backs of his knees hit the bed and he sat down with a bump. Hanji sat herself in his lap, kneeling on either side of his thighs and tipping his head back to kiss him with vigour. Before he could even begin to kiss back once more, she was pulling away, lifting her shirt off over her head.

Of course where else could his eyes go other than to her breasts? It’s not like they were huge, probably somewhere between a B and C cup if he had to hazard a guess, but they were just perfect to him. Everything about her was perfect to him. He didn’t even get the chance to ask if he could touch, she was already pressing one of his hands to her chest, pressing into his touch. Clearly, he had underestimated just how needy she really was. Her bra was nothing special. It was a plain grey T-shirt bra that did its job with no frills. He didn’t mind that one bit. Just meant it was supposed to come off sooner.

It was no secret that Moblit was a little too fond of drinking. Nor was it a secret that while he was drinking, he sometimes managed to pick someone up, though how he did it he had no clue. However, he was glad for the fuzzy kind of experience, as it left him able to get her bra off without fumbling like a virgin with the clasp. The garment was thrown to the floor by the owner herself, encouraging him silently.

Grasping her hips in his hands, Moblit pulled her up so she was kneeling up instead of perched on his lap. It gave him a better height to be able to kiss over her soft skin, leaving hickeys over her breasts with a smirk as if to leave a note for Levi saying that he wasn’t the only one who got to kiss these. It wasn’t obvious whether or not Hanji even noticed, she was too busy tugging on his hair gently and chewing her lip.

Finally, Moblit allowed himself to comply with her wishes, and he laved his tongue over one of her perked nipples, listening joyfully to her breathy gasp as he closed his lips around it, gently sucking and licking at it. He played with the other between his index and middle fingers, allowing him to cup and squeeze her small breast at the same time.

“Oh, Moblit…” She sighed out softly, and the sound sent a jolt like electricity through his body to pool in his crotch, drawing his already tight crotch of his jeans even tighter. A breathy little moan was all well and good, but he wanted to hear more than that. He wanted to hear her screaming it. This probably wasn’t a good idea as they were both at work, but he almost didn’t care.

Swapping over, he gave the same treatment to the other side, feeling her squirming in his lap. She tugged at his hair again, more urgently this time. He lifted his gaze back to her face, and she tugged at his shirt, making a sound which could have been ‘off’ as easily as it could have been a sigh. Either way, he leaned back and pulled off his shirt, dropping that to the floor with hers.

Almost instantly, her hands were on his chest, pushing against it. Moblit took her hint and pulled himself further onto the bed, turning to lay down on it properly. Hanji grinned and positioned herself over him, though instead of kneeling over his waist, she kneeled over just one of his thighs, pressing her knee against his crotch as she leaned down for another heated kiss. He groaned into her mouth, lifting his own leg until she was gasping and grinding herself down on it.

One of his hands found its way back into her hair, which was covering his face as well as hers thanks to both being loose and how close she was. His other hand, paused to give her breast a squeeze and her nipple and soft tweak, and he revelled in the gasp it brought forth from between her lips. The touch didn’t linger though, travelling down her flat stomach and toward her pants, tugging on the button until he managed to work it open with just one hand. Her hips rolled eagerly forwards, as if knowing what he was planning what he was going to do. Not that it wasn’t obvious what he was planning.

The male’s right hand tugged down the zipper of her jeans, and he could feel her spreading her legs a little in anticipation of the touch he soon gave her, slipping his hand into those flimsy panties and straight past her clit deliberately, touching her arousal and feeling how hot and wet she was already, juices quickly coating the two fingertips he was touching her with before his middle finger pressed into her.

“Moblit…” Hanji moaned softly, breaking the kiss to look down at him, rolling her hips into his hand softly. Her lips stayed parted, shining softly with a mixture of both his and her own saliva as she breathed softly, the air tumbling softly over his face and threatening to make him drunk. He looked back up at her with a soft grin, adding his ring finger into her too. “Ohh…” Her head hung a little as she looked down at his hand in her pants, and she continued rolling her hips against his hand slowly. A whimper escaped her as he withdrew his fingers, though a louder moan replaced it as he started rubbing his slick fingers in little circles over her clit.

She seemed happy enough to just stay there and let him touch her, but there was no way Moblit was settling for just that after waiting so long for his chance with her. Taking out his hand, he lifted it close to his face, rubbing the slick fingers together and watching her arousal string between his fingers with fascination. Blushing, the female grabbed his hand and quickly stuck his fingers in her mouth, licking and sucking them clean. The erotic action and the feeling of her tongue over his digits drew a moan from him, and he used his other hand to work on his own jeans until they were as loose as possible while still being on him.

Hanji slid his fingers from her mouth, holding his eye-contact as she did, then shuffled backwards down the cot, dragging his pants and boxers with her. He lifted his hips, helping her get them off. She left them just under his knees, obviously seeing no need to get them off fully. Or perhaps she was just too impatient, as she stood up and kicked off her shoes to get her own off. While she was doing that, he took the opportunity to remove his own completely, and there was a moment where both of them just kind of looked at the other.

The moment didn’t last long. Hanji was soon on top of him again, but he didn’t let her get settled up there, as he rolled the two of them over so he was on top. She grinned up at him, propping her parted legs up so he could fit between them better, her arms moving up around his neck. One hand tangled in his hair and she pulled him down for another kiss, reaching down between them to wrap her hand around his erection. He wasn’t unnaturally large, but she couldn’t help noticing he had size on Levi. Levi was a small guy though, it only made sense… She shook her head a little to clear the thoughts. She didn’t want to think about him right now.

He felt hot and heavy in her hand, and with an almost innocent little smile, she looked up to him as she closed her hand, rubbing it up and down over him. If it was even possible, his eyes grew even darker.

“Hanji…” His voice was low, almost dangerous. It sent a noticeable shiver down her spine. It had been a long time since someone had sounded like that about her.

“I’m all yours.” She whispered with a grin, letting go of him.


	4. Finally

All his. Hanji was all his. Had she any idea how long he had been waiting for this moment? How long he had been waiting to hear her say that? Wanting to savour the moment, he leaned down and kissed her sweetly, and though while she returned it at first, she broke away with her hands on his chest, turning her head. She didn’t want to look at him. 

“Hurry up…” She mumbled. Ah. Well, though it honestly hurt a little, he couldn’t say that he didn’t understand. Hanji was a married woman, after all, which reminded him of how wrong this all was, causing him to bite his lip guiltily. However, the length of time he had waited for this wasn’t the only thing convincing him to keep going. There was a distinct throbbing between his legs, and thinking of it simultaneously made it worse and made him smile at the same time. 

“Whatever you say.” Moblit purred softly in her ear, his heart hammering at the inside of his ribs as he looked down, rubbing the tip of his cock against her wet folds. Hanji bit her lip and squirmed a little, pressing her hips forward a little to encourage him. Not that he needed any encouraging. He was merely taking his time; savouring the moment. 

“Please…” She whispered breathily, managing to turn her head enough to look at him, though she didn’t quite meet his gaze. He dropped his eyes to her breasts, not looking at her face in an attempt to make her feel a little better. She did seem to relax a little, and even smirked a little as she started playing with her own nipples, moaning wantonly and pressing down against him again. 

The male could do little more than watch for a moment, almost entranced by the sight of her touching herself, though he quickly shook it off in favour of pressing forward. There was the slight uncomfortable dragging that came without using lube, but she was wet enough and eager enough for it to not be much of a problem for long. 

A soft sound of delight came from both of them as their bodies joined into one. From Hanji in satisfaction of finally being filled by something hot and alive, bigger than her own fingers. From Moblit in bliss, because this was all he had wanted for as long as he cared to remember. The feeling of her all around him, hot and wet and tight and perfect. It sent a shudder down his spine.

Before she had time to question his reaction, he started to move. Drawing out slowly as far as he dared, leaning over her and avoiding looking at her – she didn’t want it – before he pushed back in. Slowly at first, but he began to work up a rhythm, building on it to get faster. The first moan to leave her lips almost had him in tears. He was the one to make her feel that good. It was all he had ever wanted to do. 

Lowering his face to her neck, he softly kissed the skin there. He wanted to mark her so desperately, but he couldn’t do that to her. She’d already be mad about the mess he had left over her breasts, but with any luck, that wouldn’t be a problem. There was a reason she had come to him, after all. She had come to him, and soon, she’d come for him. He grinned against her neck, working his hips faster against hers and letting out a soft moan at the feeling. He honestly never wanted this to end, but he wasn’t that good. As much as he wanted to be. 

Actually, that wasn’t true. He didn’t want to be that good, because if it never ended, what was the poi-

“Ahh!” He cried out softly as Hanji deliberately squeezed herself around him, a mischievous look on her face, though it was coloured with concern, too. 

“You’re thinking too hard.” She told him, running a hand through his hair as she wrapped one leg around his waist, rocking her hips up to his to meet his thrusts. Each rock of her hips sent him deeper, and soon the cot was creaking slightly under their enthusiastic movements, the sound not quite able to cover up the muffled slapping of skin against skin. It definitely wasn’t able to cover up their moans, and Hanji’s pleas for more, harder, please, faster! He was only too happy to oblige.

Hands gripping the sheets of the cot, Moblit looked down at her. Though her eyes were looking blindly at the ceiling above him, she still looked absolutely stunning. Her dark hair was fanned out on the pillow beneath her like a halo, honey-glazed chocolate irises clouded and unfocused with pleasure. Even her flushed lips were parted slightly, shining with saliva as she wet them with a peek of her tongue. 

With a flick of her eyes, she was looking at him. Holding his eye contact for a moment and turning crimson in an instant before she cried out suddenly, her other leg joining the one around his waist as her nails dug into his back.

“Right there, Moblit, please!” The woman cried, her head thrown back. Pausing for a moment, the assistant paused moving for a moment, making his partner whine in displeasure. Hushing her softly, he glanced down and adjusted his position slightly, ignoring her tugging hands and rolling hips as best he could. 

Then he was moving again. Starting slowly but soon picking up into a pace faster and harder than before. Soon, Hanji was writhing on the cot beneath him, sheets sticking to her sweaty skin. His pausing and shifting was merely evidence that he was… Out of practice. Moblit had never been the kind of guy who found it easy to get laid, and on the off chance that he managed it, he was always drunk. This was something of a new experience for him. 

He was determined to please though. Evident in the enthusiasm of his movements, the depth of every thrust and the momentum he built up. It wasn’t easy to continue going as fast as he had started out when Hanji was clearly approaching her limit though. She was getting so tight around him, as if her body was trying to prevent him from pulling out again. Not that he would so soon, he was getting close, but not that close.

“M-Moblit! Harder, please!” Her nails scratched into his back, marking him as she squeezed his waist with her legs, her head thrown back. Hips slammed against hips as he worked harder to please her, wanting, no- needing to hear her scream for him. Everyone else in the building be damned, this was his moment. Of course that wasn’t a particularly safe way of thinking, especially not when you were sleeping with a married woman. It was difficult to maintain a sensible way of thinking when you were approaching orgasm, though. Things just don’t seem to matter at a time like that. 

The sting of uneven nails digging into his upper back was welcomed, despite some of the bitten edges feeling like small, serrated knife blades. His thighs and lower back ached and burned with lactic acid, but like that was going to stop him. Mere moments later and Hanji was crying out something incoherent, dragging those brutal nails down his back as her body squeezed him. Repositioning his hands, he of course went to remove himself from her, but found her legs too tight around his waist for him to move much more than an inch. 

“Ha-H-Hanji I-I need-” Too close. He was too close to deal with this, he felt as though the smallest thing was going to send him over the edge. “J-j-just let go- H-Han- fff-!” The way the scientist used her grip on his waist to roll her hips up against his was more than a little unexpected, and far too good. “D-don’t, I’m going to-!” A second time had him seeing white, barely clinging on to the last thread of his restraint. Though in a moment like that, he didn’t really know why he bothered so much. He had no consciousness left, or so it felt. Perhaps that was why he was so willing to let himself go with the third roll of her hips, letting out a low-pitched, strangled-sounding cry as he finally tipped over the edge, filling her like she so badly seemed to want. 

Only then did she let him go. It took him a few moments then to come back to his senses, his vision returning from what seemed like a blank whiteness. That had to have been one of the most intense orgasms he’d ever experienced. Though he hadn’t yet told his body to move, Moblit felt his back hitting the cot. To his left, he heard a quiet chuckle. 

“You’re such a guy.” Hanji’s tone wasn’t angry, but playfully teasing. It comforted her assistant to know she wasn’t upset with him, like he’d thought she surely would be. The relief was too much for him to bear properly though, and he felt his eyelids begin to get heavier. “Falling asleep right after sex.” Another chuckle, and, a little offended, he tried forcing them open and pushing himself up. Only for a hand to press down on his chest, making him lay down once again. “Take a nap. You’re gonna be like a zombie if you don’t.” The warmth in her voice made his heart swell, and he knew he didn’t have the ability to refuse. So he allowed his eyes to close. “Thank you.” She murmured, kissing the side of his head before getting up. He didn’t hear much after that, though, the clutches of sleep already dragging him under.


	5. Until tomorrow

Waking up was an unpleasant process, at the best of times. Never before had he woken up at work, in Hanji’s cot, and naked nonetheless. It took a few moments, but it all came flooding back to him. With a soft moan, Moblit pushed himself up into a sitting position, the thin blanket falling down around his waist as he yawned, dragging a hand through his light, messy hair. 

“Oh, you’re finally awake, hm?” The sound of Hanji’s voice drew his golden-brown eyes over to her desk, where she sat obviously typing up reports. Her appearance was normal once again. Hair tied up, glasses on her nose and all. She stood a moment later, walking over with the mug from her desk, holding it out to him. Blinking in confusion, he took it. She was acting quite oddly; the spring seemed to be back in her step, yet at the same time, she looked troubled. 

“What time is it?” Moblit asked her quietly, peering at the milky contents of the cup before taking a sip of the coffee gratefully. 

“Hmm…” Pulling back her sleeve, Hanji raised a hand and peered at her wrist. “Almost four-thirty. Why, did you have some date to be at tonight?” The words sounded bitter, which had his mind reeling. 

“N-no.” He mumbled, looking up at her with the kind of confused look only a man can give. “D-…” He had been about to ask if he had done something wrong – purely an instinct – but he already knew the answer to that question. Of course he had. “I’m sorry.” He hung his head, clasping the coffee mug in both hands. The science pun written on it in bold print no longer amusing to him as it once had been. 

With a heavy sigh, Hanji sat down on the cot beside him. “No, I’m sorry. I should never have asked you to do that.” Her cocoa gaze turned to the ceiling for a moment before she looked down, pushing her glasses up to her head and rubbing her eyes. “Although I don’t think ‘sorry’ is the right word. It was wrong of me to do that to you… But I couldn’t help myself. I don’t regret it, despite what may happen if he ever finds out. I only regret putting you in danger.” 

“Don’t.” Moblit shook his head, taking another sip of the barely lukewarm coffee. “You don’t realise… How happy a man you’ve made me.” He smiled a little, closing his eyes. “For years, you’re all I’ve ever wanted…” His eyes opened again, his soft smile disappearing. “Then he came and stole you away before I could work up the courage to say anything.” He rested the coffee in his hands on his lap. “I tried so hard to be happy for you. I tried… so hard… I turned up to your wedding, hoping my views would change. That I could offer nothing but my congratulations. …I had to leave early. I couldn’t…” 

“I didn’t take you for the jealous type, Moblit.” Hanji said quietly, her gaze still fixed on the floor, back to him. “Though I can’t let you think you’re the only one at fault… I noticed. I did. I see the way you look at me when you think I’m absorbed in work. I always have. And I thought… I thought you’d get over it. I thought you’d find a woman and stop looking at me that way.” Her gaze moved from the floor to the ceiling. “Then you got the cat. I suppose that was when I knew you weren’t going to find another woman, but by then it was already too late. Though I didn’t realise until recently how badly I wish I had noticed sooner. I love Levi, but…” Her eyes closed and her head dropped. 

Silently, Moblit lifted a hand and rubbed her back. “I understand…” He knew what she was thinking. He knew she knew that he knew what she was thinking. Not that he expected her to say it out loud. That was just too much to hope for. 

“Now,” Hanji began talking in a tone of voice that made it clear she was changing the subject. Her body language changed completely, and she stood up, turning back to look at him. “I recall telling you it was four-thirty... So you can go home a little early today.” The brunette picked up her assistant’s pants from the floor and threw them onto the cot, along with his underwear and shirt. 

“Y-you’re leaving too?” The male blushed as his boxers hit him in the chest. He picked up the clothes as he looked at her, frowning slightly in confusion. It wasn’t like her to leave so early, and surely she knew he wouldn’t leave her here alone… 

“No. I need some time alone.” She went back to her desk and sat down to continue what she was doing. Ah. Well, it wasn’t entirely unexpected, after what had happened. He rather felt like he needed some time to think, too. 

With a small sigh, he looked down at the bundle of clothes in his lap, then across to the position of the woman sat at her desk, typing. Although she wasn’t directly facing him, it was a right-angle, so she could probably see him out of her peripheral vision. Looking back down to his clothes again, he picked out his underwear, and looked back over to her again. 

“Feeling modest, are we?” She didn’t even look over from the screen, merely confirming his suspicions about her peripherals. Though her glasses worked in his favour, her vision would likely be blurry there. “That’s not how it was a few hours ago.” The smile on her face made him feel a little better, despite everything. It was more like the old Hanji he knew - the real one. “We’re scientists, Moblit. Much like doctors, we should be able to handle human anatomy with an air of professionalism.” 

Well what made her so… formal? The clashing ways of speaking left his head spinning, struggling to make sense of her mentality. Then again, that was nothing new. With a soft sigh, he started to get up, avoiding looking at her very deliberately. 

“Of course that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate what I see silently.” Hanji continued with a small smirk, audible in her voice. The poor man almost choked on air, his face turning bright crimson as he hurried to make himself decent. Almost fast enough to cause him to unbalance and trip over his own pants. He’d always struggled to understand her, but this was taking that to whole new levels. He was just a man, so it made sense he wouldn’t fully understand even a normal woman… Hanji was no normal woman, though. So he wouldn’t have a hope of understanding her. Though if you asked him, he’d probably say that’s part of the reason he loved her so much. She was a living mystery, and there was no pressure to understand her train of thought, although he had a better shot at that than anyone else did, or so he’d like to think. 

“You did that on purpose…” He mumbled childishly as he buckled his belt. The laugh from across the room told him all he needed to know. Rolling his eyes, he couldn’t keep the smile off his face. How could he? He thought her laugh was beautiful and the more he heard of it, the better. 

Turning around, he grabbed his shirt and pulled it on, doing up the buttons patiently. Moblit was in no rush to leave, especially not when she wasn’t leaving. Hanji on her own in a science lab with chemicals readily available was not a good thing. He was going to have to judge her common sense and better judgement, although he got the feeling that today, there would be no problems. Perhaps she really was just going to sit and think awhile. Finish up on some important documents, so he wouldn’t have to do it for her last minute. With a small nod, he decided to appreciate this and leave her alone. She’d be fine; she was a grown woman, after all. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, then.” He murmured, dragging a hand through his hair again in the hopes it might make him look a little more presentable. Crouching a little, he tried peering at his reflection in a flask. He wasn’t vain, by any means; he just didn’t want to look suspicious. 

Hanji stood up from her seat, so he stood too, turning to look at her. His mouth opened to say something, but he immediately forgot what it was when she folded the collar of his shirt over until it rest properly instead of being half tucked under and half stood up. For a moment, all he could do was stare at her. She smiled at him, using a hand to tidy his hair, making sure it was out of his eyes. 

“There.” She leaned forward and placed a quick, chaste kiss on his lips before stepping back. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Moblit. Don’t be late!” 

“Uh, r-right.” He stepped back and nodded, heading towards the door and grabbing his coat from where it had been hung up beside it. Holding it, he looked back at her for a moment, a little too bewildered to say anything. So he just turned and left, though not without hearing a quiet chuckle from behind him. Once the door was closed, he let out a heavy sigh and began walking, pulling on his coat in the process. 

Once reaching the elevator, he was of course forced to wait for it. That wasn’t what surprised him. What was surprising was that when it arrived at his floor, he almost bumped into someone leaving it. A certain short someone, with black hair a sleep-deprived expression equally as dark. Moblit immediately stepped back in surprise, mumbling an apology and looking away. It was impossible to meet Levi’s eye-contact at the best of times, let alone when he had just slept with his wife. 

“You’re Hanji’s assistant, aren’t you?” His tone was almost accusatory, and poor Moblit almost had a panic-attack on the spot as he nodded silently. “Thanks.” The short man grunted after a pause that seemed to last for an eternity.

“W-what for, sir…?” The ‘sir’ slipped out accidentally, but this guy intimidated him. It probably wasn’t so bad to show this respect for him, on second thoughts. 

“For making sure she doesn’t fucking kill herself.” Levi told him flatly, looking him up and down for a moment, as though sizing him up. Moblit had never felt so vulnerable in all his life. He felt like a dying animal watched by a waiting vulture. Without so much as another word, Levi was walking past him and back the direction Moblit had just come. It was only when he turned around to watch him leave that he noticed there were flowers in his hand. 

“…At least he’s trying…” Despite only mumbling to himself, Moblit heard his own voice crack. Blushing because of it, he stepped into the elevator and began his journey home. Once there, much to the bewilderment of his cat, he would do a thorough cleaning of his modest apartment and cook himself a real meal to eat. It was amazing, really. How much one encounter could change a man.

Things finally seemed to be looking up for him, after all these years. Although the constant threat of Levi wasn’t exactly pleasant to have. Like a storm forecast on a sunny day: it’s not there yet, but it may be on the way.


	6. The Bouquet

Moblit wasn’t sure what he had been expecting when he walked into work the next day. Everything was… just the same as it always had been. So why did it feel wrong? Probably the bunch of bright yellow flowers sitting in a conical flask on the windowsill. Looking at it tugged at something in his chest, to the point where he had to purposely avoid looking in that direction. 

“Good morning, Moblit.” Hanji’s cheery greeting caught him off guard, and it took him several moments longer than it should have to respond. How on earth could she act so normal? 

“Ah- Good morning.” He muttered, hanging up his jacket to switch to his lab coat by the door. “Did you sleep well? Want me to get you a drink? Tea? Coffee?” 

“No, thanks.” She replied, squinting at the screen of her computer for a moment before she started tapping at the keys again. After a few moments, she paused and looked up at him, frowning slightly. “What are you just stood there for? It’s like your first day all over again.” 

“Sorry.” Blood rose to his cheeks, turning them pink as he looked away, looking for something he could do. How did she do it? Here he was, feeling incredibly awkward about what happened yesterday, when she was here able to act like nothing had happened at all. After a few moments, he headed over to the sink to wash some stray beakers he had found.

“Is everything okay?” Hanji’s voice right beside his ear startled him, and the beaker in his hand dropped back into the soapy water and shattered.   
Groaning in annoyance, he reached in to pull out the plug so the water could drain, but as his hand retreated, he cut it on one of the sharp edges. He jerked his hand out of the water with a hiss, looking at the rapidly growing redness across the side of his hand. 

“Oh, Moblit.” The brunette grabbed his hand and looked at it, grabbing a dry towel from the side to press it to his hand, looking up at him. “You should be more careful.” She wasn’t mad, he could tell that much, but somehow, that made it worse. “Hold that there.” As soon as he did as she told him to, she disappeared to fetch some dressing for the cut. “Do you   
think there’s any glass left in it?” 

Moving the towel, the flustered male ran the pad of one finger along the cut, feeling for any particularly sore spots. There were none. He wiped his finger on the towel and pressed it back to the cut. “No, it’s clean.” He sighed, leaning back against the counter. 

Hanji returned with things to clean the wound – never know what was in those beakers – and some dressing for it. Taking hold of his hand, she carefully cleaned it out with a cotton pad and some rubbing alcohol. “So what’s wrong, hm? You’re awkward and jumpy today.”

“Of course I am- ah! Yesterday didn’t only happen to me, did it? Ow.” He winced as the sting of the alcohol got into the cut on his hand. 

“No, it didn’t. But I don’t really see why that’s something to act like this about. It’s not like anything has changed.” She didn’t look up, too busy sticking the dressing over the cut. It was just as well, because Moblit was sure she would have been able to read his disappointed expression perfectly. 

“No… I guess not.” He murmured, looking away and holding in the sigh he wanted to give. “But don’t you think it’s weird how Levi turned up here on the day we... Y’know.” 

“It was a coincidence, Moblit. Don’t think anything of it. There!” She let go of his hand with a triumphant grin, like she had just completed a test of some kind. “All done. You need to be   
more careful, okay? I don’t want my loyal assistant getting hurt by any more beakers.” Her smile made him feel sick. She was beyond stunning, in his mind, and yet everything seemed to be crumbling because of something that happened yesterday. 

“Right…” He mumbled, holding his hand close to his chest without realising as the scientist began to pick bits of glass out of the sink to put them in the glass bin. All he could do was hang his head and try once again to figure out just what was going on in her mind. Was it really nothing to her? It was impossible to tell, he just couldn’t read her well enough. Though   
he did suspect he was still better at it than her own husband was. 

The assistant hadn’t realised he was just sort of stood there numbly until he felt arms wrap around his waist. Blinking his eyes back into focus, he automatically leaned back a little as he realised how close Hanji was to him. 

“It bothers you, doesn’t it~” She practically sang, a mischievous shine in her eyes, hidden for a moment by a flash of light reflecting off the lenses of her glasses. “Everything is normal but something is… wrong.” 

“Hanji, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Everything is fine. Please let go of me.” To his surprise, she did.

“Alright.” She muttered, stepping back. The corners of her lips turned down slightly in a frown, her brows creasing to match. She turned away and took a few steps before stopping and turning back to him. “Do you know anything about flowers, Moblit?” 

Her question caught him off guard. “No. Should I?” He looked back over to the flask of bright yellow flowers on the windowsill. “I mean, yellow seems like a happy colour.” 

“Normally you would be right. I looked up what they were while I was waiting for results. Carnations, Hydrangeas, and Anemones.” She smiled sadly. “I know he won’t have picked them with any meaning in mind. Levi doesn’t work that way. Still though, it kind of shows how ignorant he is.” She let out a sigh, taking the flask down from the window and brushing her fingers over the petals. “Yellow carnations for disdain, rejection or disappointment… Hydrangeas for frigidity and heartlessness, and Anemones for fading hope and a feeling of being forsaken, and worst of all, yellow roses for a platonic love free of romance.” She gripped the neck of the flask tightly in a fist, and Moblit could see she was shaking slightly. 

“You said it yourself…” He started carefully, wary of getting too close to her. “He won’t have chosen those ones deliberately… At least yellow is a happy colour… Maybe he just wants you to be happy?” 

“He obviously went to a florist. Would it have killed him to have asked?!” In a fit of anger, she opened the window, took the flowers from the flask and threw them out into the busy street below to get trampled. It was obvious to him that this was one of many problems the two of them were having. Even if yesterday had never happened, he was sure that a happy Hanji would have never reacted this way to such a small thing. 

After slamming the flask down on the counter, she turned and headed towards her assistant, practically slumping against him as she hugged him tightly.

“Just hold me, Moblit. You’re the only one who will…” She whispered, resting her head against his shoulder. 

Sighing heavily, he lifted his arms and wrapped them around her, rubbing one hand up and down her back. He felt bad for getting involved in their obviously problematic relationship, but he honestly didn’t know what she might do if it wasn’t for him. It seemed, at least at the moment, like he was the only thing holding her together. He was going to do the best job he could of it, too.


End file.
